The purpose of this meditation is to understand and become more aware of our emotions and how our emotions manifest in our bodies.
By developing emotional awareness,
You can build emotional intelligence and also notice when things are happening before they escalate.
For example,
If you've ever known someone who seemed fine one minute and then immediately flew off the handle,
That's a person who was unaware that they were building to anger until it just burst out.
Or maybe you've experienced this when you've fallen in love the first time and maybe you don't know that it's love because it's mixed with fear and that uncomfortableness and all these other hormonal things happening.
So even identifying something as love might be difficult.
Those are just two examples.
So I'd like you to get comfortable.
You can be sitting in a chair or lying down.
Your hands can be resting in your lap or out at your side.
Wherever you are,
Make any subtle adjustments to become more comfortable.
You might choose to close your eyes or simply gaze ahead softly.
See if you can relax your shoulders down away from your ears.
Scanning your body briefly,
Noticing any areas where you might be stiff or holding tension and relax those areas.
Draw your awareness to your breath.
Simply noticing your inhalation and exhalation.
Not trying to control the breath in any way.
When you're ready,
Gently shift your awareness from your breath to your body as if you're scanning your body from head to toe.
You might first notice or be aware of if you're lying on the floor,
The floor beneath you supporting you,
Or if you're in a chair,
Your sit bones on the chair,
Your feet on the floor.
Simply become aware of your body in space.
As you're doing that,
Begin to notice any emotions or feelings that might be surfacing.
You don't have to define them or label them.
You could not be feeling much of anything at all,
And that's okay.
Now if you are aware of different emotions floating around and your mind has already started to wander to different thoughts,
Guide yourself back to your breath and let those thoughts float by like clouds.
And once again,
Begin to notice what's going on inside emotionally.
There is likely more than one emotion,
So pick one that you'd like to work on for this meditation.
And remember,
If it is something that's negative and not positive,
And you feel overwhelmed in any way,
Distance yourself from this activity and you can come out of this meditation at any time.
So once you've found an emotion,
You're not labeling it,
Just noticing what you're feeling whether it's good or bad.
Does it show up as a lightness of being or does it feel perhaps heavy or fluttery if you're nervous?
So first identify where does this emotion surface in your body.
I'll be quiet for a moment.
Once again,
You're looking at what part of the body is holding that emotion.
Does that emotion feel big and expansive or does it feel minor and small?
Does this feeling have you feeling heavy or light?
If this emotion had a color,
What would it be?
If this emotion had a texture,
Would it be sharp,
Soft,
Smooth,
Rough?
Is it warm or cold?
And last,
Is it moving or is it still?
And as you become aware of this emotion,
If you were to give it a label,
What would it be?
For example,
It could be relaxation and calmness and perhaps you feel very light,
Perhaps a fluttering behind your neck or a cooling sensation.
Or if you're feeling angry about something or disappointed,
Perhaps it shows up as the color red and feels like it's moving and it's fiery or maybe it feels jagged.
These are just a couple of examples.
It's okay if you don't have a name for the emotion,
But if you do,
Sit with it for a few moments more and notice how it shows up in your body because this will be key to knowing that emotion surfacing and when you're aware of it,
You can take steps if necessary to change actions.
So for example,
If you feel yourself becoming angry,
You might know that it's time to either walk away or take a few deep breaths.
I'm going to be quiet for several moments.
Now last,
You might have noticed different thoughts coming up in relation to this emotion.
Simply become aware of what those thoughts are.
You might find that there is some kind of pattern,
Be it a situation,
A person,
Just simply become aware.
Now gently draw your awareness back to your breath,
Letting any thoughts float by like clouds,
Reminding yourself that all emotions are valid.
Emotions are never wrong.
It is only how we act and what we do with them that can be used for a good purpose or a not so good purpose.
So we're simply becoming aware.
And as you rest in this place,
Take a moment to scan your body one more time,
Softening into the floor or softening into your chair,
Relaxing any muscles,
Relaxing your face,
Your jaw,
Relaxing down through your neck and shoulders,
Relaxing your arms,
Relaxing your chest and belly,
Relaxing your hips and allowing your legs and toes to relax,
Staying here for just a few moments more.
And remembering the more that you do this type of mindfulness activity,
Choosing different feelings each time,
You will gain greater self-awareness.
When you're ready,
Gently wiggle your fingers and toes,
Rock your head from side to side.
And if your eyes are closed,
You can open your eyes.
Thank you for joining me.
